The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and, more particularly, to an image processing apparatus which can deal with a plurality of different image display modes which are different the aspect ratio, pixel number, etc.
With recent advancement of the digitization of electronic still cameras, there are increasing demands for reproducing and processing photographically picked-up image data with a personal computer (hereinafter abbreviated as PC). From the consideration of the versatility with such PCs and like apparatuses with respect to data, there have been proposed systems in which an IC memory card for use with a PC or the like is used as a recording medium for an electronic still camera for recording data in the IC memory card in the PC file format. As the image format for such an electronic still camera, what conforms to the NTSC standard data format (effective pixel number: 768xc3x97480) is usually thought to be useful. On the other hand, the pixel number of PCs is usually 640xc3x97400, 512xc3x97512, 640xc3x97480, and so forth.
The electronic still camera as noted above conforms in the data format to various television signal standards such as the NTSC, PAL, etc. standards. Therefore, when a PC or the like with a smaller pixel number than the standard is used to reproduce image data that is picked-up with an electronic still camera, the overall screen of image data cannot be displayed.
In addition, the aspect ratio of a PC display is usually horizontally about 1.2 times that of an electronic still camera CCD image pick-up component. Therefore, image data picked-up with the electronic still camera, when displayed on the PC display, results in slightly vertically squeezed images. It is possible to compensate the data with software or the like on the PC. However, the compensation requires arithmetic operations which delay the reproduction, which is undesired.
Such an electronic imaging apparatus as described above, which is for practical use, has a function of transmitting image information to another electronic imaging apparatus via some medium, for instance, a telephone line. For image data transmission via a telephone line, it is necessary to dial the telephone number of the destination. An apparatus for dispensing with the telephone number dialing by the user whenever data transmission is to be made is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. H2-25143 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication H3-157083. In this disclosed apparatus, the telephone number of the partner side, i.e., the destination, is recorded on a magnetic disk on which image information is recorded.
However, where image to be transmitted is recorded on a disk A while the destination telephone number is recorded on a disk B, it is necessary to delete the telephone number originally stored on the disk A and copy the destination telephone number originally stored on the disk B onto the disk A as a superseder. This poses problems in operation control properties.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication H3-157083 shows the use of a keyboard as telephone number input means. However, this is not realistic, particularly when the electronic imaging apparatus is a memory card camera or similar small camera, because with such a camera only a restricted number of switches can be mounted.
An object of the present invention is, therefore, to provide an image processing apparatus capable of processing the image data of a different mode without any special conversion process or the like.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus which can facilitate the destination telephone number setting at the time of the image data transmission and has excellent operation control properties.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing apparatus for processing image information so as to be adaptable to an applied display device comprising a discriminating means for discriminating an image data format chosen from among a plurality of image data formats each defined by a corresponding displaying format inclusive of aspect ratio format or pixel number format, on the occasion of recording provided image information in an applied recording medium, and an auxiliary data recording means for recording auxiliary data representative of the chosen data format in a predetermined area of the recording medium in such a manner that the auxiliary data is capable of being reproduced while maintaining a correlation between the auxiliary data and the corresponding image data.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing apparatus for processing an image information so as to be adaptable to an applied display device comprising, a discriminating means for discriminating an image data format corresponding to a displaying format inclusive of aspect ratio format or pixel number format, based on reproduced auxiliary data representative of the image data format, on the occasion of reproducing, and an image data format information applying means for applying an image data format information representative of discrimination made in the discriminating means so as to determine a reproduced image data format.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing apparatus being operable in a plurality of operation modes inclusive of a data transmitting mode and a data receiving mode those modes, where are selectively switched by a user comprising switching means for selectively switching the operation mode from the data transmitting mode to the data receiving mode or vice versa, responding to a displacement of a predetermined switching member, and display means for displaying whether a present operation mode is the data transmitting mode or the data receiving mode by a symbolic pointing display pointing direction which corresponds to to a direction of the displacement of the switching member.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing apparatus which is operable in a plurality of operation modes inclusive of a camera mode for taking a picture and a communication mode for transmitting or receiving image data, where those modes are selectively switched by an user comprising a command switch means for selectively switching operating modes between a recording mode and a play-back mode, in case the camera mode is set, and for selectively switching operating modes between a transmitting mode or a receiving mode, in case the communication mode is set.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing apparatus for taking pictures and storing them in an applied storage device, the apparatus comprising image pick-up means for generating and outputting an image signal photoelectrically converted from an image incident thereon, communication means for transmitting and/or receiving image information generated in this apparatus or another equivalent apparatus while an operation mode of the apparatus is set for operation, and storing a means for storing telephone number of the destination in a predetermined address of an applied solid state memory means in which the telephone number is capable of being maintained without any power source.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing apparatus for taking pictures and storing them in an applied storage device, the apparatus comprising image pick-up means for generating and outputting an image signal photoelectrically converted from an image incident thereon, communication means for transmitting and/or receiving image information generated in this apparatus or the another equivalent apparatus while an operation mode of the apparatus is set for communication, storing means for storing telephone number information of the destination in a predetermined address of an applied solid state memory means in which the telephone number is capable of being maintained without any power source, and means for transferring the telephone number information between the predetermined address of the solid state memory means and an auxiliary data file in which file an auxiliary information data representative of relating information for corresponding image information stored in a main stored.
Other objects and features will be clarified from the following description with reference to the attached drawings.